GAZA/CAIRO: Hamas said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that his country would expand its area of control in Gaza was a dangerous escalation, as residents of the Palestinian territory also voiced alarm at the plan.
Under a ceasefire deal in October Israel’s military was to remain in control of 53 percent of Gaza, but Netanyahu said on Friday that it would expand that area to an initial 70 percent, without laying out details or a timeline.
The Palestinian militant group, which triggered two years of devastating warfare in Gaza with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, described his comments as a plan for ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians.
“Any attempt to impose a new reality of occupation in Gaza is null and illegitimate,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, adding that Netanyahu’s statement “represents a dangerous escalation.”
More than eight months into the ceasefire, and with global attention fixed on the war in Iran, Gaza’s underlying conflict remains stubbornly unresolved with continued Israeli attacks, little aid reaching civilians and the risk of major new violence. Israel has already expanded its area of control in Gaza from the 53 percent lying behind a “yellow line” mapped into the ceasefire deal up to around 64 percent, with an area it has designated as restricted in maps shared with aid groups.
